A Cyclist approaching a mini roundabout. If the cyclist was turning right, a majority of motorists do not give way, but keep going straight across the roundabout. If you are not aware that most cars will keep going, an accident is quite likely. This is on my commute home. It is very rare a car, will stop to allow you to go round the mini roundabout and come off. If you want to avoid an accident, the onus seems to be on the cyclist to give way to the motorist driving straight on.
Once I had a close shave with a car driving straight on through a mini roundabout. I came very close to the car. The motorist shouted - you should have signalled right. But, if you read the highway code, you would signal to come off a roundabout not stay on it.
Now, when I come to a roundabout like this, I do often signal right, and look very closely at the driver. I assume, I will have to stop and give way to the car. In rare cases (and it is surprisingly rare) they will let you go right.
What is there to say? Apart from never assume other road users will do what they are supposed to!
I’m sure that many drivers and cyclists don’t fully understand the rules of roundabouts. Also, many drivers seem to treat mini roundabouts with disdain.
3 comments ↓
If that cyclist turns right from that position he’s asking for trouble. He’s too far to the left- if you’re turning right you should be towards the right hand side of the lane (just like a car would be), and obviously indicating.
I turn right at this sort of roundabout at least twice a day and I’ve never had anyone not stopping in a car. Yes, you need to eyeball the driver and signal, just like you would when driving a car. Signalling through roundabouts is what most drivers do- you’re traffic, behave like it.
the cyclist wasn’t turning right.
Even if you move out to the right and signal right and look at the driver, still many times I have had to stop.
Coming from Swindon (LOTS of mini roundabouts) I feel experienced enough to say that there are two sorts of mini roundabouts. Obvious ones and not-so-obvious ones.
Not-so-obvious mini’s are usually in residential streets where you’re really not expecting them to be. I can think of one in particular, which is in a residential area in Swindon, that’s on the crest of a hill, painted onto the road. You’ve no hope of seeing it! I know it’s there and I have driven straight over it several times because I remembered too late that it was a roundabout. It scares the life out of me!
A driver will not be expecting it and signage is poor. Fortunately the road markings are good, but again, it will be pretty dependant on conditions as to whether or not you see them.
Roundabouts have a place - where there is a heavy flow of traffic that’s fairly even from all directions.
You’re right to be cautious and treat this like any other sort of junction. But I’m baffled as to why this one exists in the first place?
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